Furballs- update Cat Hyperthyroid

Spirit_2

OH took our cat to the vet this morning as she has been sick a few times and is a bit more whingy than usual. She is eating and using her litter tray as usual, although I am feeding her smaller more frequent feeds.

The vet said there is nothing obviously wrong with her. He has taken bloods to look for indications of anything less obvious, however he suggested she may have a furball and that we purchase an over the counter remedy.

We bought some, she has no interest in eating it whatsoever. I have disguised some in her dinner tonight and she appears to have avoided most of it. Any experience of dealing with these?

She is short haired, aged 15.5 yrs, not overweight, goes outside for a mooch about but prefers indoors at this time of year.She eats Hills dried food and wet cat food.

Faith177

One of my girls get really bad furballs she can't get rid of we give her Lax-A-Past it's expensive but works much better than the over the counter ones I find.

It's a meaty tasting and she loves it just a little dab on her front paw

http://www.vet-medic.com/cats-c67/hairballs-digestion-c346/animalcare-lax-a-past-paste-70g-p7382

Spirit_2

Vet called today to tell us cat has hyperthyroid. Will need daily medication for life . Google tells me of a radioactive iodine treatment that is more effective.

Any posters with experience of a cat with this condition and treatment thereof?

We will be self funding so an indication of costs will be helpful.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

She's an old girl. If she will deign to take a blob of pate, it's not that hard to get a little tablet down her once a day, as you can do half a blob, then shove the tablet down, then the other half.

It's certainly cheaper when she could quite feasibly be at the upper range of her allotted lifespan already. (my thyroidy mog finally went at 14, having had surgery for HT at about 8 and then it returning at 13 when she was too frail to recover enough for surgery again).

Spirit_2

it is two tablets per day. we are crushing them in food for her which she is taking surprisingly well. She has a nervous disposition and I am not strong enough to pick her up(recovering from a stroke)or mobile enough to hold her if she wriggles so would rather have a Gold standard" solution for all our sakes if she gets fussy about taking the meds.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Gold standard, IMO, with an old, stressy girl, is keeping her away from the vet and major treatment and just sticking with putting the meds in food she sees as high value.

If she gets moody about taking them, try the pastes/cat yoghurt first - but I found the going off even the treats was actually my old girl's body shutting down with old age, rather than the refusing of meds or her thyroid, so that would be a good point to go back to the vet.

tigs33

My cat aged 16 has had the radioactive iodine treatment at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, it has worked very well, no more tablets, it has a 95% success rate and if it doesn't work can be performed again, it is one injection but they need to be in solitary confinement until they are safe to go near. My cat is insured so the insurance paid.

rita-rabbit

1 of my cats has overactive thyroid. She was always greedy & so I didn't realise there was a problem until she started losing weight. I did a load of research & opted for gel meds - so her food tastes the same & so the other cat didn't ingest the meds.

I kept her stomach acids down by feeding slippery elm bark (I mixed the solution & fed her with a spoon prior to meals.

I don't have insurance so am sticking with meds. I feed 50% raw meat now cut into chunks & mix it with the tinned food.

No furballs at all now since the change in food.